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The 2nd Annual Conference of NEAT was held in
Bangkok, Thailand on August 16-17, 2004 under the sponsorship
of the Institute of East Asian Studies, Thammasat University (NEAT
Country Coordinator of Thailand). About 80 think-tank representatives
and intellectuals from 12 countries (the Philippines absent) participated.
The participants from Japan were: Prof. ITO Kenichi, President
& CEO of JFIR, Prof. INOGUCHI Takashi, Professor of the University
of Tokyo, Prof. UTARA Shujiro, Professor of Waseda University,
Dr. JIMBO Ken, Senior Research Fellow of JFIR, Prof. TANAKA Akihiko,
Professor of the University of Tokyo, Mr. HIRATSUKA Daisuke, Director
of APEC Study Center and Director of Regional Integration Group,
Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO, Prof. HIRONO Ryokichi,
Professor Emeritus of Seikei University, Dr. YOSHITOMI Masaru,
President & Chief Research Officer of Research Institute of
Economy, Trade Industry, and (as an observer) Mr. YAMADA Takio,
Director of Regional Policy Division, Asian and Oceanian Affairs
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The lively discussions were conducted
in all 5 sessions: "Towards an East Asian Community",
"Economic Cooperation", "Political and Security
Cooperation", "Socio?Cultural Cooperation", and
"Institutionalization". With regard to the process towards
an East Asian Community, the Annual Conference valued highly the
achievements and experiences of regional integration that the
ASEAN has shown until today. It was pointed out that an approach
of functional cooperation in each field is effective, and cooperation
of "deepening" should be promoted rather than rapid
"widening" of its geographic scope.
The 2nd Annual Conference
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"The Basic Rules
and Framework of the Network of East Asian Think-tanks" was
adopted at the Conference, which stipulated that the gCountry
Coordinators' Meeting" should be a supreme decision-making
body and that the Country Coordinator holding the next Annual
Conference should play a role of the secretariat for that Annual
Conference.
At the Welcome Dinner held on August 16,
2004, Prof. ITO Kenichi, President & CEO of JFIR made a speech
that "In order to build an East Asian Community, we need
to share a 'common value' that goes beyond a 'common interest'
and to establish a 'no-war community' just as the EU achieved
it in Europe".
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